Dubai's Gold Souk vs Istanbul's Bazaar

[TravelguruDanville]

Hi,

 

When looking at activities for Dubai, the Gold Souk always comes out high on the list. We were just in Istanbul and I spent more than my allotted time (according to my better half) at the Grand Bazaar.

 

Since we only have one day in Dubai, is it really a must see or should we spend time seeing other things? Suggestions as to the best? (We will be going right from our tour to the airport, and although late at night, it sounds like a shower is needed after the Night Safari, which would that excursion unlikely).

 

Finally, although I have been told that one can do Dubai without a guide, with the little time we have, we want to maximize our sightseeing. Would a taxi driver do or should we hire a guide? The one I spoke to would cost around $400 for 6 hours.

 

Thanks for your suggestions!

Gail

[Jade13]

$400.00 sounds really expensive. My friend was in Dubai earlier this year and said the taxi's were really cheap.

 

I am actually looking for info on Dubai as we will be there for a few days pre-cruise next year.

[paul929207]

If you are not going to have a guide than you will have to do the research to figure out where to go.

[Keith1010]

If you know where you want to go you can easily do Dubai in a cab.

 

I would go over to the Gold Souk. Allocate one hour for it.

 

Keith

[aussie cruzer]

Hi,

 

When looking at activities for Dubai, the Gold Souk always comes out high on the list. We were just in Istanbul and I spent more than my allotted time (according to my better half) at the Grand Bazaar.

 

Since we only have one day in Dubai, is it really a must see or should we spend time seeing other things? Suggestions as to the best? (We will be going right from our tour to the airport, and although late at night, it sounds like a shower is needed after the Night Safari, which would that excursion unlikely).

 

Finally, although I have been told that one can do Dubai without a guide, with the little time we have, we want to maximize our sightseeing. Would a taxi driver do or should we hire a guide? The one I spoke to would cost around $400 for 6 hours.

 

Thanks for your suggestions!

Gail

 

Istanbul's bazzar is way bigger than the gold souk,the souk has a lot of gold & jewellery shops .

 

Why not try the hop on hop off bus,it's a great way to see dubai.

 

http://www.bigbustours.com/eng/dubai/custompage.aspx?id=dubai_sightseeing_tour&gclid=

[greatam]

As someone who has spent extensive time in the Middle East, the souks in most Middle Eastern countries are VERY, VERY similar.

 

Gold prices in Kuwait took a LARGE jump in the last month (and Kuwait has been one of the cheaper places to buy gold). But if you are NOT looking to buy gold as an INVESTMENT, forget it, IMHO.

 

Do you REALLY want to spend your time in Dubai looking at jewelry??? If you do, so be it. But if you have been to other bazaars/souks, spend your time seeing some of what Dubai has to offer. The Palms, the World, Wild Wadi, Ski Dubai (indoor skiing at 120 degrees), Burj al Arab for the over the top stuff (I recommend their "tea" bookable online-it truly is a meal), the shopping malls (just for a peek-they are REALLY pricey), the dhow cruises, the "safari in the desert experiences", the world's tallest building, all the "over the top buildings" in Dubai.

[TravelguruDanville]

Hi All,

Thanks for great suggestions for my day in Dubai. I will skip the souk and enjoy the other wonderful "candy for the eye" experiences!

[Keith1010]

Hi All,

Thanks for great suggestions for my day in Dubai. I will skip the souk and enjoy the other wonderful "candy for the eye" experiences!

 

I actually would see the Souk.

 

As someone who has been to Dubai multiple times, if time permits I really would recommend stopping by the souk if even for an hour. There is more than just the jewelry souk as there is also other souks including spice. I found the experience reather interesting then just going into Malls. While the malls are unique they don't tell you much about the culture. As to the Malls, I wouldn't spend a lot of time at them.

 

I would go to the newest Mall which is the Dubai Mall just to get a sense of what it looks like. It is more Western than any mall I have seen and the interior is amazing. There is an aquarium there. If you head out towards the back of the mall, you will see a very picturesque setting and from there you can get very nice pictures of the largest buidling in the world.

 

The other Mall to see is the Mall of the Emirates. While the first time I saw it I thought it was impressive it now looks modest in contrast to the Dubai Mall. The thing to see there is the indoor ski slope. It's not something you would see in a shopping mall.

 

You can go out to the desert on a 4x4 and go up and down the sand dunes. We've done it. It was OK but I would not prioritize it ahead of some of these other areas. Just my personal opinion.

 

Anyway, I would prioritize what you want to see in the city.

 

My family and I lived in Danville in the late 1980's and early 1990's. It's a beautiful town.

 

Keith

[Jade13]

 

You can go out to the desert on a 4x4 and go up and down the sand dunes. We've done it. It was OK but I would not prioritize it ahead of some of these other areas. Just my personal opinion.

 

 

Keith

 

Which company is recommended for the desert safari?

[Keith1010]

Which company is recommended for the desert safari?

 

We went on the safari through our cruise line.

 

Keith